It's excellent that they think of work as what sets us apart from nature. Redefining man as the working animal really puts an interesting spin on what our lives are actually like! It must really change your internal monologue- more of a victimized existence, as the only animal not allowed to play. Or maybe that's just me coming from a culture of play and automatically valuing play as greater than work. I suppose the joy they get from work sustains them. I am surprised by their lack of cultural or spiritual leaders. I wonder what/whom those dances are about?
I wonder what their 80s-90s movies would have been like (if they, you know, did movies)? I mean, would it have been the stoic, hard-working teenagers rebelling against their jovial slacker parents? Or maybe an office worker who's boss is forcing them to take extra vacation days?
Office Space would be about people trying to stay at work.
Lack of leaders usually means a lack of extra calories to pay people who do not work.
This is incredibly interesting, especially the part where they have no political or spiritual leaders. Even in most small scale societies there is a leader, but the article makes no mention of one. I'm interested as to what the punishments are for example, when a child is at play. If they value work the most, surely the punishment can't be work.
Thats what I gathered. Pretty brutal, but it will definitely get you to put down the GI Joe action figure and pick up a pick axe.
That seemed to be the extreme punishment, based on them saying "going as far as". I'd be interested to see what a "first offense" would warrant or how the punishments are determined. They end once the child accepts work. I didn't do a good job stating my question in the first comment.
perhaps the anthros did not want to study them because they are mean bastards?
36% of the children are adopted and they frown on sex. Where are they getting the kids? Also, who are the idiot anthropologists that found them "too boring to study"? They sound fascinating to me.
from the inside I will tell you it is a field of dilettantes.